Cuba - some questions

[Maxf]

I'm off to Cuba in a couple of weeks time! I had some jabs at the doctor's suggestion (assuming he needed some holiday cash as they don't seem to be free anymore) but have a couple of questions:

• Can we drink the tap water/ice?

• Does anybody use travellers cheques anymore (I've not been anywhere without easy ATM access before), or should I just take cash (stirling)?

• Is it possible to book deep sea fishing trips from Varadero, or should that be done from Havana ideally?

• I've a couple of guide books - is there anything we need to see which is off the typical guide book list?

• I'm told it's pretty safe - I assume we are ok walking around with cameras (SLRs), assuming we aren't silly?

We are in Havana for 5 days, then Varadero for 6 days. Havana is more for me, and Varadero for my friend, who wanted a beach for a bit.

I have tried google, but every question has contradictory answers!

[tw_uk]

I can only speak from visiting Guardalavaca/Holguin but..

- Tap water/ice was safe.

- I just took sterling, it was preferred for changing into CC/Pesos. (Remember any American affiliated cards/cheques etc.. may not be accepted).

- No idea about the deep sea fishing in Valadero but there was tons in Guardalavaca so should be the same.

- There is a lot to be gained from reading guide books, but always good to have explore off the beaten track.

- Felt very safe everywhere we went (city and country), the occasional bit of begging here and there but very safe for tourists, the Cubans are lovely people.

Edited by tw_uk on Thursday 24th June 14:10

Edited by tw_uk on Thursday 24th June 14:10

[JimexPL]

Maxf said:

I'm off to Cuba in a couple of weeks time! I had some jabs at the doctor's suggestion (assuming he needed some holiday cash as they don't seem to be free anymore) but have a couple of questions:

• Can we drink the tap water/ice?

• Does anybody use travellers cheques anymore (I've not been anywhere without easy ATM access before), or should I just take cash (stirling)?

• Is it possible to book deep sea fishing trips from Varadero, or should that be done from Havana ideally?

• I've a couple of guide books - is there anything we need to see which is off the typical guide book list?

• I'm told it's pretty safe - I assume we are ok walking around with cameras (SLRs), assuming we aren't silly?

We are in Havana for 5 days, then Varadero for 6 days. Havana is more for me, and Varadero for my friend, who wanted a beach for a bit.

I have tried google, but every question has contradictory answers!

I've recently spent two weeks there. Never went to Varedero.
I doubt you'd find anyone accepting travellers cheques. Take some sterling, and convert what you'll think you'll need at Havana airport. ATMs are quite easy to find in Havana (I expect in Varedero also); elsewhere they might be 2 hours drive away.
Rent a car and get in to the Cuban countryside.
You'll need some proper local currency for any villages that you go to though. Get some anyway and go to the locals restaurants in Havanna - virtually identical food to the tourist currency ones but 1/10th of the price!
The Rough Guide is good. Buy a decent map over here if you plan on hiring a car.
Don't drink the tap water. We avoided ice in suspect looking places but I doubt you'd have a problem in the tourist bars.
I could go in to a lot more detail but don't have the time now. PM me if you have any other questions.

[blindswelledrat]

I did a few deep sea fishing trips from Varadero when I went (about 12 years ago). It was very easily arranged.
Depends what you want to catch, though.
CUba is pretty famous for it's marlin fishing but Havana is definitely the place to go for that.
I got the distinct impression that the chances of catching a marlin from Varadero were remote, despite the captain claiming it was possible
THe waters we fished weren't deep enough (IMO) and there were no drop-offs in depth, just a gradual deepening.
We still caught a fair few things (barracuda and stuff) but if I went again I would have definitely made the effort to get to Havana

[Maxf]

blindswelledrat said:

I did a few deep sea fishing trips from Varadero when I went (about 12 years ago). It was very easily arranged.
Depends what you want to catch, though.
CUba is pretty famous for it's marlin fishing but Havana is definitely the place to go for that.
I got the distinct impression that the chances of catching a marlin from Varadero were remote, despite the captain claiming it was possible
THe waters we fished weren't deep enough (IMO) and there were no drop-offs in depth, just a gradual deepening.
We still caught a fair few things (barracuda and stuff) but if I went again I would have definitely made the effort to get to Havana

It seems the gulf stream is easily reached from Havana, which is where they have the big Marlin catches. Definitely on my list of things to do in Havana then.

I will be bored senseless in Varadero so am hoping to learn to sail/play golf or something else, if I can't fish. There are no PADI schools there, although there is an SSI school, but I'm not sure about them as PADI seemed to be the standard (for better or worse).

I'm keen on hiring a car, although have read that if you crash and injur someone you have to spend the next few months in clink while they sort it all out. Perhaps hiring a driver for a day or two would be easier!?

[blindswelledrat]

We didn't hire a car at the time so I couldn't tell you.
Did a few resort dives (without PADI) which were pretty stunning and lots of watersports.
If sitting around on sun/beach holdays bores you then Im afraid there will be few antidotes!

You are right about the gulf stream, and if you check on a map I seem to remember it passes quite a distance out to sea from Varedero which was another reason I doubted the catch.

Havana is pretty difficult to get to though I seem to recall.
THe only way back tehn was a pretty expensive internal flight which sounded pretty shaky on the safety front.
12 years is a long time though!

[Maxf]

We are flying to Havana so are based there for 5 days, then are getting driven to Varadero.

I'm sure the beach will be fine, but I need to 'know' there are options and things to do!

Did you already dive? Neither of us do and are wondering whether Cuba is a place to try or not - on the safety front really.

[JimexPL]

Maxf said:

I'm keen on hiring a car, although have read that if you crash and injur someone you have to spend the next few months in clink while they sort it all out. Perhaps hiring a driver for a day or two would be easier!?

We got through three hire cars!
First one was backed into by a lorry while we were stationary behind it on a main road.
The process that followed was interesting - included having to wait for an accident investigator to turn up, who was in a nearby town but had to wait and hitch a lift to get to us because the govt. doesn't provide him with transport. Other aspects were also comical, such as the police not having the authority to breathalise you, so I drove the policeman, my girlfriend (who had been driving at the time) and the lorry driver in our now modified Geely to the nearest health centre for the test. They didn't have any equipment, so the doctor smelt her breath and got her to stand with one foot in front of the other and touch her nose, before giving her the all clear.
Lets say it did waste half a day but as everything is state run and tourists are Cuba's only source of income these days you will not be put away.
Second car was so bad (a 10,000 mile 5 month old executive Geely) that I returned it after an hour. It felt like the factory had forgotten to install rear shocks or any bushes in the nsf suspension.
The hire depot begrudgingly accepted that the car was a pile of st and gave me a Hyundai instead, which served its purpose without issue for the rest of the trip.

Edited by JimexPL on Thursday 24th June 16:44

[blindswelledrat]

No, and I still don't have a PADI although I have dived dozens of times now.

Everywhere you go will do what I think is called a 'resort dive' which is up to a maximum of 12 meters, with tuition and with an instructor.
I have never found it to be a disadvantage, as all the best things to see tend to be shallower than 12 meters and I have always been diving side by side with people who DO have Padi's.
Other than that- the hotels do loads of organised day trips which break up the monotony but nothing spectacular.
The weather, beaches and sea are the spectacular elements